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Victoria and Rose
Victoria had been rosy cheeked, staring at herself smiling wide in what was to be her modest white wedding dress. It was cut off just below the knee, made by her mother whom had a passion for dressmaking. She wanted a simple dress, as well as a small wedding of family and friends. It was to be held on a grassy field, with a gazebo. The reception was to be straightforward, and as a jest, her twin sister Rose would don a similar dress to fool guests. Following the rehearsal, Victoria, Rose, and would-be husband returned to their small two-story apartment. They hung their coats on the hooks on the wall past the front door, shoes placed beneath them. Trent stirred, looking over to see the other end of the bed was empty. Slipping on a shirt and hoodie, he went to find Victoria. As he opened the bedroom door, the hallway was lit by the window of Rose’s bedroom door, which was also agape. Trent went to see if Rose was in the room, to no such luck, and decided to go downstairs. While he made his way down the stairs, he saw Rose sobbing on the large sofa, an older police officer attempting to console her. A younger deputy, stood next to them, notepad in hand. He turned to a perplexed Trent, noting his confused expression. ' ' “You must be the widower,” ' ' “What do you mean? Where is she?” Trent asked. The officer hesitated. ' ' “I suppose you didn’t look out your window this morning,” ' ' Victoria had been reported dead by the tenant next to their apartment, as he had awoken a half hour prior to the police arriving, and saw her lying down. Her neck had snapped, and her eyes were eerily still open. There was no note, and Trent and Rose were asleep at the time of the incident. The police spent about half an hour interviewing each of the two residents, before leaving to let Rose and Trent grief. The two were not seen following the funeral, and were spotted in the back of the church. Neither gave a eulogy, and Rose had collapsed in tears when the grave was lowered. Victoria was buried next to her parents, whom died a few years ago. ' ' The days following, there was not a sound in the apartment. The bottom floor seemed empty, as the rooms were left untouched. Dust began to gather, with the only sign the home was lived in was the kitchen. The wine cabinet, which was often filled as Victoria loved dinner guests, had been emptied. Trent’s bedroom was a sea of bottles and mementos, with the only lighting seeping in from the shut curtains. Trent looked about items he had dug out from Victoria's end of the closet. There was her old camera, a shoe box of photos, and notepads of old poems. ' ' Across the hall, Rose had dragged her dresser to be adjacent her bed, which she sat at the edge of. The memorabilia Rose had came in the form of an old yearbook, in which their photo were also next to one another. Victoria, the prankster she was, would pretend to be her sister. She had sat in front of it, talking to herself, of former memories with her sister. ' ' “You always did hate that picture Victoria,” Rose began, as she blew smoke out of the cigarette in her hand. The air in the room permeated with smoke in thin streams about the room, escaping through the window she opened slightly behind her. “So, you’ve been away for a few days now,” Rose began, “At least you get to be with mom and dad. Tell ‘em I said hey,” she took another drag, and put it out on her window sill. She had amassed a small collection there, with at least a few pack’s worth piled up like a mountain. ' ' Night had come, and Trent had drank himself to sleep, the room an ocean of mementos and the previously mentioned bottles. He still held onto his half empty bottle, which had spilled onto his suit he had worn since the funeral. Rose had still worn her black dress, but that was to change as the night sky was brightened by a slowly rising sun. Rose had quietly left her door, treading lightly across the hall, opening the door to the bedroom across hers. Rose had navigated her way to the open closet door, and grabbed clothing of the rack. She put on her sister’s favorite blue sweater, and some jeans. ' ' Trent awoke an hour or so after dawn to the smell of something cooking, and rose up from bed. Groggily making his way downstairs, the aroma of bacon hit his nose. Trent saw Victoria frying eggs, along with a pile of slightly burnt bacon. ' ' “Good morning handsome,” Victoria sang, smile on her face. Trent’s mouth was agape, as he slowly approached her. This isn’t Victoria, he thought, she isn’t taking this too well. Trent placed his hand on Rose’s shoulder, wishing to tell her how she is not well. ' ' “Rose, you ca-” Victoria interrupted him, as she pressed her lips against his. Trent, caught off guard, reciprocated this act, as the two were in each other’s arms. “ I’m sorry,” Trent began, still shocked by what had occurred. “Don’t be,” Victoria replied, as she took the freshly fried eggs placing them on two plates. The two ate breakfast, and the curtains opened up, letting in sunshine. The day progressed, as Trent and Victoria restored order to the bedroom. No longer was their room unkempt, but was back to its original state. ' ' Trent hadn’t thought of the fact of Rose following his first attempt to speak to her. Victoria had spent most of that time keeping him preoccupied, cleaning up the home. Afternoon came, and Victoria began to put on her small black boots and pea coat. Trent put on his, and the two left the apartment, hands together. The weather was sunny and warm, the breeze cool, and the leaves a bright red. The two walked down the street to the park they always walked through on a Sunday afternoon. They sat on their favorite bench, and Victoria rested her head on Trent’s shoulder. ' ' “I love you,” Victoria said, looking up at Trent. ' ' “I love you too,” he replied, as they looked up at the sky. The clouds were not the same pure white, but now a dark gray. The wind blew more aggressively, as the leaves turned brown, falling off of the branches slowly. Victoria began to cough, her breath visible in the air, as Trent felt a chill all over his body. ' ' “Why is it so cold?” Victoria began to ask, shivering. ' ' “I have no idea. Let’s go home,” Trent replied, as he got up, their hands together. ' ' Victoria and Trent entered their apartment, placing their coats on their hooks and shoes below. The curtains were drawn as the sky’s dark tone upset Victoria, who was still shivering. The two kept to themselves in their personal fortress, as the world outside had become hostile. Their breaths were resembling that of a dragon, as the home became cold. A day went by, and the trees were now skeletons of the former autumn plants that stood before. The ground was littered with crumpled remnants of leaves, and the grass had become rough patches of brown and gray. The color had been flushed from the outside, and the home seemed no better. ' ' Victoria was rosy cheeked, as she shivered in her white dress. She stood there, looking at an uneasy Trent, who wore his suit. They held each other's hands, as Victoria began to speak. She spoke of how she was scared, of the weather, and the world around them. How she could feel the air get cooler as the days passed, how it became difficult to discern day from night. Victoria spoke of how she panicked at the mere thought of suffering through this. However, she spoke of how she was not alone, and that at least she could do so with Trent. Victoria asked if Trent would endure this with her, and see through it. ' ' “Until death do us part,” Trent replied, as the two kissed. ' ' That night, the two ate dinner together, and baked themselves a small cake, cutting it together. Trent thought the air had gotten warmer, but it was hard to tell. Then, when the night reached its twilight hours, the two fell asleep. The air is surely warmer, Trent thought, the air is warm for sure. Trent awoke to the bright sunlight hitting his eyes through the window next to him. He looked to his right to see the other half of the bed empty. The air was warm, and he heard a knock on his door from downstairs. Trent’s began to tear up, as he got up, and looked out his window. Cole As'sude